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Clinical Commissioning Groups sign up for new community-led stroke prevention service

28 May 2013

Helicon health Logo

New healthcare company, Helicon Health, has hit the ground running by securing commitment from four Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) who will use the company’s new community-led stroke prevention service to improve their management of patients with atrial fibrillation.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) estimates that the cost of stroke in the UK (£2.8 billion) could be cut by nearly 20% with better management of atrial fibrillation and anticoagulant services. One way to achieve this is to deliver more care in the local community, shifting the balance of responsibility from hospitals to GPs, nurses, pharmacists and other local practitioners. However, the effective delivery of care in the community requires collaboration, confident and well-trained practitioners and a robust governance system.

New anticoagulant and stroke prevention services
Helicon Health meets these needs with HeliconHeart, its package of anticoagulant and stroke prevention services, which combines web software with a secure, clinically useful electronic health record (EHR) and clinical advisory system, analytics for governance and easily accessible education resources.

Dr. Mo Abedi, Medical Director, NHS Enfield CCG said: “HeliconHeart helps healthcare commissioners and practitioners make the transition to a more community-focused health service. It gives commissioners the tools to monitor and measure performance of services across multiple sites and equips practitioners to deliver high quality stroke prevention care closer to the patient’s home.

The company’s goal is to help commissioners move towards a distributed service where the complex patients (10 – 15%) are managed in the hospital setting whilst the rest are either self-testing and self-managing, or being managed by the GP, an outreach service or their community pharmacy.

David Patterson, CEO, Helicon Health and a widely published Consultant Cardiologist, said: “Our proven approach makes better use of clinical resources, brings treatment closer to the patient’s home and ensures practitioners are trained to the highest standards.

Helicon Health was created in association with UCL Business PLC (UCLB), following a highly successful pilot project, delivered over eight years in partnership with Whittington Health and UCL (University College London). The company is committed to facilitating shared care in the community for the management of long-term cardiovascular conditions. The initial focus is on stroke prevention, which includes anticoagulation and atrial fibrillation services. However, with a number of products in the pipeline, this will extend quickly to the management of other long-term conditions such as heart failure, hypertension, coronary artery disease and diabetes, where the overlap with stroke prevention treatment is considerable.

Cengiz Tarhan, Managing Director of UCLB said: “In the context of a new healthcare service focused on care in the community, Helicon Health’s approach is showing the way for the management of all long-term conditions. The early uptake of HeliconHeart by CCGs in London and the South East is a clear indication that the model meets the needs of local clinicians. We look forward to continuing our working relationship and supporting the company’s ongoing growth and product development.

About Helicon Health
Helicon Health is committed to facilitating shared care for the management of long-term conditions. The companies aim is to ensure that, as there is an increase in the number of patients managed outside the hospital environment, they also enhance the quality of care.

The Helicon Health goal is to help commissioners move towards a distributed service where the complex patients (10 – 15%) are managed in the hospital setting whilst the rest are either self-testing and self-managing, or being managed by the GP, an outreach service or their community pharmacy.

For more information visit: www.heliconhealth.co.uk

About UCL Business PLC
UCL Business PLC (UCLB) is a leading technology transfer company that supports and commercialises research and innovations arising from UCL, one of the UK’s top research-led universities. UCLB has a successful track record and a strong reputation for identifying and protecting promising new technologies and innovations from UCL academics. It invests directly in development projects to maximise the potential of the research and manages the commercialisation process of technologies from laboratory to market.  UCLB supports UCL’s Grand Challenges of increasing UCL’s positive impact on and contribution to Global Health, Sustainable Cities, Intercultural Interaction and Human Wellbeing.

For further information, please visit: www.uclb.com